Bhunivelze
Bhunivelze (ブーニベルゼ, Būniberuze), often referred to as God (神, Kami), and sometimes as the God of Light (輝ける神, Kagayakeru Kami, lit. "Shining God"), is a deity in the Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy mythos. He is alluded to in Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2, mentioned in the "Requiem of the Goddess" DLC, and appears physically as the main antagonist in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-3. In Final Fantasy XIII-2, the death of Etro releases the Chaos of the Unseen Realm into the Mortal World. This awakens Bhunivelze from crystal sleep. In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Bhunivelze makes Lightning the Savior and tasks her with bringing the souls of mankind to him so that they may be reborn in the new world he has created. In Final Fantasy XIII-3, Bhunivelze returns to power, determined to destroy the mortals who bested him. Datalog ''Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII'' Almighty Bhunivelze, god of light, stands above other gods and holds the world in his palm. After creating Pulse the wild, Lindzei the wise, and Etro, the goddess of death and Chaos, Bhunivelze retreated from man's sight and slipped into a long slumber. It was Bhunivelze who called to Lightning, forcing her to awaken from her long crystal sleep to become the savior. And he made her a promise: if she completed this great task for him, he would use his power to bring her sister, Serah, back to her. ''Final Fantasy XIII-3'' Added ??? ---- ??? Updated ??? ---- ??? Updated ??? ---- ??? Appearance and Personality For some time, Bhunivelze's physical appearance was unknown. As with the fal'Cie deities he created, he was never given a specific form. He has been represented by a symbol that looks similar to an eye, and his true form is that of an "inexhaustible crystal." Bhunivelze's physical form is metallic and humanoid in appearance with androgynous facial features and azure (emerald in-game) eyes set against a white, mask-like veneer with gold inlay. The lower half of the god's body is covered by purple robes, and he has four pairs of angelic wings; the wings are juxtaposed by massive horns, between which hovers an ornate crown-like structure. Bhunivelze's official render depicts him with white sclera, while in-game, they are black. The deity's horns are decorated with the symbol of the Secutors, as well as his name. A second, demonic face rests on the back of Bhunivelze's head; because of this, he can twist his body to assume a bird-like form. Bhunivelze is a perfectionist with no compunction over disposing of those he uses. He has little tolerance for humans, whom he considers unclean because of the Chaos within them, and he fears death. Bhunivelze hates his mother Mwynn and all who resemble her; the god despises humanity for the darkest aspects of their souls, and this motivates him to purge mankind of its emotions. This, Bhunivelze believes, will grant humans eternal bliss. The deity displays arrogance and cruelty, and great though his power is, Bhunivelze cannot see the Chaos or the souls of the dead. Story Mythology The universe is divided into two realms: the Mortal World of the living, and the Unseen Realm of the dead. In the beginning, Bhunivelze killed his mother, Mwynn, and became ruler of the Mortal World. Meanwhile, Mwynn was lost in the Unseen Realm. Despite his successful attempt to usurp Mwynn, Bhunivelze became troubled. He believed his mother had placed a curse on the realm of the living that would one day lead to its destruction. To break this curse, Bhunivelze sought to destroy Mwynn once and for all. However, he could not reach the Unseen Realm without sacrificing control of the Mortal World. Thus Bhunivelze created the fal'Cie god Pulse and tasked him with searching for the door to the Unseen Realm. Next, Bhunivelze created the fal'Cie goddess Etro, but he became distraught when he discovered that he had unknowingly crafted her in Mwynn's image. Bhunivelze denied Etro any powers, and to replace her, he created the fal'Cie deity Lindzei. Lindzei was tasked with protecting the world along with Bhunivelze himself, and with the fal'Cie at work, Bhunivelze fell into a deep crystal sleep. He would only wake upon the discovery of the entrance to the Unseen Realm. ''Final Fantasy XIII'' Bhunivelze's existence and role in the universe's history is hinted at in the first Analect collected by Lightning and her allies. Called "The Vanished Gods," it alludes to how "Luminous" (Bhunivelze) lamented at creation's spiral towards destruction. ''Final Fantasy XIII-2'' When the Chaos of Valhalla flows into the Mortal World, Bhunivelze awakens from crystal sleep. ''Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII'' Upon his awakening, Bhunivelze sees that the world he created has been soiled by its fusion with the Unseen Realm. Intending to purify both the world and mankind, the deity gives life to the fal'Cie Pandaemonium and orchestrates the building of Luxerion and Yusnaan to lure humanity away from its manmade Cocoon. While some scientists stay behind in the mechanical floating continent to study the Chaos, they disappear according to Bhunivelze's wishes. The god of light then creates an illusion of Lightning to torment Hope Estheim, who eventually could no longer distinguish dreams from reality. The false Lightning lures Hope into the now deserted manmade Cocoon, and in order to better understand and "sympathize" with humans, Bhunivelze spends the next 169 years molding the young man into a perfect, "pure and innocent" host by regressing him into a teenager to better meet his standards. Hoping to become humanity's "hope" through the actions of his followers, the Order of Salvation, Bhunivelze releases Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang from crystal stasis. Vanille then ends up in the care of the Order. While Nova Chrysalia is slowly corroded by the Chaos, Bhunivelze decides to create a new world. Because the god cannot see the souls of mankind, he requires someone to guide them to him so that they may be reincarnated within it. Bhunivelze searches desperately for a servant worthy of completing this task; he eventually finds Lightning and purges her of both the dark aspects of her being (which later manifest through the Chaos as Lumina) and the soul of her younger sister, Serah. Bhunivelze forges a duplicate of Serah to keep his new Savior acquiescent, and he promises Lightning that if she gathers the remaining souls trapped in Nova Chrysalia for him, he will resurrect Serah in return for her servitude. It is on her journey as the Savior that Lightning learns of Bhunivelze's true goal to obliterate the souls of the dead while saving the souls of the living; those still alive would forget the dead as a result of this and, in Bhunivelze's eyes, live a blissful life. To make his plan come to fruition, Bhunivelze orders his follwers within the Order of Salvation to have Vanille perform the Soulsong, a ritual to banish the dead to oblivion at the cost of her life. On Nova Chrysalia's final day, Lightning thwarts the Order of Salvation's attempt to perform the Soulsong. Bhunivelze possesses Hope's body after absorbing the boy's soul, and after taking the souls of Lightning's other allies, the god asks Lightning to see the new world with him. Lightning reaches Bhunivelze, at which point the god explains his wish for humanity to have a blissful existence and reveals his intention to make Lightning the new goddess of death to replace the long-dead Etro. Lightning threatens to destroy Bhunivelze, but the god only laughs and calls her into the ethereal realm Cosmogenesis to meet him personally. When Lightning comes before Bhunivelze at last, the deity states that because she stopped the Soulsong and freed the dead as a result, he now must destroy the new world he created in order to extinguish all souls. Bhunivelze callously discards Hope's body, as he no longer requires the boy to be his host, and he claims that souls have no value to him. Bhunivelze proclaims his new plan is to create an ideal humanity and become its collective soul. Lightning declares her intent to kill the god of light, and Bhunivelze summons Pulse and Lindzei to his side, combining them into a massive double-ended scythe to put his Savior in her place and present her with her final trial to see if she is worthy of replacing the lost goddess. Lightning mortally wounds the antagonistic deity, and when she tells him that he will have no place in his glorious new world, the enraged god decides to kill her. Lightning and Bhunivelze plummet into the Chaos; the former Savior intends to sacrifice herself in order to seal Bhunivelze within the new Unseen Realm through the weakness he created in himself by directly absorbing Hope's soul. Lightning releases Hope by stabbing Bhunivelze in the forehead with her survival knife. After Lightning breaks free from her personal chains and reunites with Hope, the two launch a final assault on Bhunivelze. The god unleashes all of his power, but Lightning's call for aid is answered by her allies and the Eidolons. Together, Lightning and her comrades are able to shatter Bhunivelze's hold on the souls of humanity; Lightning utilizes them to inflict a final blow upon the deity. Bhunivelze's remains are wrapped in crystal as they fall towards the burning remains of Nova Chrysalia, and although she wonders whether the god of light was truly killed or merely entered crystal sleep once more, Lightning is confident that humanity will defeat Bhunivelze again, should he ever return. ''Final Fantasy XIII-3: A New World -Humanity's Tale-'' ''Final Fantasy XIII-3'' Abilities Battle Creation and Development Voice Musical Themes Other Appearances ''Final Fantasy'' Trading Card Game Gallery Trivia Category:Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy Category:Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII characters Category:Final Fantasy XIII-3 characters Category:Antagonists Category:Deities